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Can-Do Entrepreneurs Move Beyond Can't-Do Government
Arianna Huffington
Overall, another 95,000 jobs were lost in September. Maybe they should start calling it the no-jobs report.
"That's about 35,000 less than the 100,000 or so jobs needed to keep up with population growth. It's about 180,000 less than the number of jobs needed to get back to 5 percent unemployment in the next 10 years."
In other words, the economy is not bouncing back anytime soon. Even worse, it's clear that
A deep-seated cynicism is not an unreasonable response. But I'm pleased to report that hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country are choosing to react by taking action. As a result, a parallel economy is being created by people who, finding there are no jobs, have decided to create their own.
Through the creative use of technology, social media and a focus on community, this new wave of small businesses is making its mark in a true convergence of left and right. At the moment, our government may be can't-do, but more and more of our citizens are solidly can-do -- and irrepressibly American.
Americans have a lot of passion and ingenuity, and there is a clear market in helping bring them to market. Enter Etsy.com and CafePress.com, which have now grown large enough to have a multiplier effect rippling across the country.
Etsy was founded in 2005 by
The site's mission? "To enable people to make a living making things, and to reconnect makers with buyers. Our vision is to build a new economy and present a better choice." Which is exactly what Etsy is doing. And along with creating jobs, this new economy is creating connections, and caring, and community.
A friend suggested she look into Etsy. Not exactly computer literate, she nevertheless gave it a try. In
CafePress was started in 1999. Based in
One of the hallmarks of this entrepreneurial movement is community -- including an emphasis on local food, local agriculture and sustainable business practices. One of the ironies of this new wave of small businesses is how the global reach of the web has been so pivotal in connecting people to their own communities.
In
I love how human this movement is. It's fueled by technology, but at its core is a real person connecting to another real person. As Twitter founder Biz Stone said of his company: "Twitter is not a triumph of tech. It's a triumph of humanity."
Technology is what will allow this very American movement to scale up and begin to have a real impact. But it's in our backyards and basements that it begins. "To be attached to the subdivision, to love the little platoon we belong to in society, is the first principle (the germ as it were) of public affections," wrote
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Can-Do Entrepreneurs Move Beyond Can't-Do Government
(c) 2010 Robert Reich